Trump signs order creating commission on religious liberty

• However, U.S. adults are moving away from organized religion, with the population of religious "nones" rising.

Zoom in: The chairman of the new Religious Liberty Commission, Trump said Thursday, will be Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick, who he described as an "amazing politician" and a "man of great religion."

• Ben Carson, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Trump's first term, will also be a member, Trump said, as will TV personality Phil McGraw and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.

What's he's saying: "They say, 'separation between church and state' … I said, 'All right, let's forget about that for one time,'" Trump said at a Rose Garden National Day of Prayer event Thursday.

• He continued, "Is that a good thing or bad thing? I'm not sure."

Context: The commission, according to a fact sheet released by the White House, will produce a "comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America," strategies to support "peaceful religious pluralism," threats to religious freedom and how to preserve protections.

• "Key focus areas include parental rights in religious education, school choice, conscience protections, attacks on houses of worship, free speech for religious entities, and institutional autonomy," the fact sheet read.
• "Americans need to be reacquainted with our Nation's superb experiment in religious freedom in order to preserve it against emerging threats," Trump's executive order reads.

Between the lines: The president himself is not particularly religious, though he's leaned into his evangelical base.

• Specific topics the commission is directed to consider, the order says, include rights of religious leaders, attacks on houses of worship, conscience protections in the health care field and "concerning vaccine mandates" and voluntary prayer in public schools.
• The White House argued that federal and state policies have undermined religious liberty by targeting conscience protections and through other perceived assaults on the First Amendment.

Boards of religious leaders, lay leaders and legal experts will advise the commissioners, who will each serve one term ending on July 4, 2026 — though the president can expand their tenure beyond that date.

Friction point: While Trump touts a renewed commitment to religion, several religious groups have condemned his policies.

• Trump's policies on immigration, foreign aid and the environment, among others, "are deeply troubling," Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement earlier this year.
• The late Pope Francis also criticized the president's mass deportation plans as a "disgrace."

Catch up quick: Trump in February signed an order forming a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias — a decision two dozen leaders and scholars slammed in a recent letter.

• The writers raised concern that the group created to root out anti-Christian bias could be weaponized to privilege one tradition within Christianity over others.
• "We are also aware of how claims of 'anti-Christian bias' are shown to provide cover for white supremacy," read the letter, which was signed by Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, CEO and president of the Interfaith Alliance, and Rev. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign.

Go deeper: Spiritual, but not religious? You're not alone

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context.